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I didn't have a particularly photogenic dinner, so I opted to photograph my barbell instead. That's 350 lbs, which I deadlifted 5 times for a personal best. This is after three days of no carbs. So much for the importance of pre-workout carbs.

Dinner was a 22 oz. package of the Costco grass-fed ground beef with 5 fried eggs on top. Afterwards I tried some bulletproof coffee for the first time. I used grass-fed, organic unsalted butter from a local farm and my own beans, which I roast with a hacked popcorn machine. I was a little underwhelmed. I felt like the butter masked the nose of the coffee, and I got a bit of an upset stomach after drinking 3 tablespoons of butter in 16 oz. coffee. I suppose one must ease into it. If I made my coffee from lesser beans, I could see adding butter for a smoother, richer taste. But as is, I'll stick with my homeroasted coffee

In general, I feel amazing. Lots of energy, mild hunger levels. excellent workouts, and straightforward dieting. It's so easy to diet when you can only have 3 different foods. I envy my girlfriend's salads and the general variety she is afforded, but I must say I love watching the scale go down every day.

Hilarious side-note: we went to MOM's Organic Market this evening (for my heavy cream and butter) and she picked up a package of vegan gluten-free Mexican shredded "cheese," as she misses normal cheese. We agree that its the worst thing we've ever tasted. Here are the ingredients, read straight off the back of the package: "Water, Canola Oil, Cornstarch, Vegetable Glycerin, Arrowroot Starch, Tricalcium Phosphate, Pea Protein, Salt, Natural Vegan Flavors, Rice Maltodextrin, Lactic Acid (non-dairy), Sunflower Lecithin, Xanthan Gum, Yeast Extract, Annatto (color), Powdered Cellulose added to prevent caking." You know, now that I typed that out, I realize it could be a list of ingredients for gluten-free cheese balls or something if the water were further down the list. She tasted it first (cold, out of the package) and audibly gagged. She said it was the worst thing she'd ever tasted. I tried some, expecting something like a rubber matrix. It was so much worse than that. I swear I wasn't being melodramatic when I turned around and retched into the sink. The "cheese" turned to a powder in my mouth and the taste was something like crushed acetaminophen. We think it might taste better once it's heated and melted (if it does indeed melt), but man. What a disaster.

I'm a weak man...If I give myself a few feet of leeway, I burst through all of my prohibitions.

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Ok so the "whoosh," if there is such a thing, continued today. Yesterday nothing changed with my diet (steak + eggs + butter) and I plunged from 172.0 to 170.8, which is the lowest I've been in 12 months. I say nothing changed with my diet to support the idea this wasn't water weight. How odd. It's rest day (though I did get friggin' soaked on my bike ride in this morning in a Maryland spring monsoon) and I plan on a massive steak and egg dinner. Can't wait!

We'll see how tomorrow's weigh-in goes. Normally I weigh myself only once weekly, but it's wild watching the scale numbers plummet. I figure it's fat and water because my workout yesterday was incredible.

I'm a weak man...If I give myself a few feet of leeway, I burst through all of my prohibitions.

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Deadlift 350 lbs 5 reps! That is impressive. Congrats. I'm finding that my strength has gone up as well, which is surprising considering the lack of carbs. Our protein numbers are pretty high, yesterday I had over 200 gms so I guess that's a contributing factor but it seems there is something about this diet that supports weight training, building muscle and ramping up metabolic rates.

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She weighs herself weekly rather than daily, so I'm not sure. She must be though, she's eating so little. Everyday she has a medium sized salad with no meat and no real added fats. Just veggies and beans maybe a bit of oil.

Deadlift 350 lbs 5 reps! That is impressive. Congrats. I'm finding that my strength has gone up as well, which is surprising considering the lack of carbs. Our protein numbers are pretty high, yesterday I had over 200 gms so I guess that's a contributing factor but it seems there is something about this diet that supports weight training, building muscle and ramping up metabolic rates.

Large amounts of amino acids can induce muscle protein synthesis (MPS) on their own, which is impressive since they're also the main substrate. However, I'm not sure anything about the diet has too much of an influence on metabolic rate. Most of your metabolic rate is determined by either genetics or your lean body mass. Your metabolism does slow down during dieting, but I've read that it's on the order of 50-150 kcal/day which is not really enough to make or break a diet. The idea that one can have a significant on his or her metabolism by dieting is mostly myth. Yes, eating "thermogenic" foods like cinnamon or hot peppers technically "stimulate" the metabolism much as caffeine does. But it's not, in my opinion, going to have a major long-term effect anyway.

The body is amazing at regulating itself. In a healthy person things like your BMR, blood glucose, and temperature never really change too much. You can effect a small reduction in BMR by long-term dieting (this effect becomes larger when one becomes very lean), but on a day-to-day basis food doesn't have a very big effect on metabolic rate.

Edit: I will say, however, that this diet is something else. On day 4 I have boundless energy, minimal hunger, and great sleep. The scale keeps plunging downward for some reason, but I hesitate to think I'm losing lean mass. It's probably just all my glycogen stores being depleted. But maybe there's something magical about this diet. I know beef, saturated fats, and CLA all have positive effects on testosterone. Perhaps there is some super anabolic phenomenon going on. We'll see!

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I wish the photos would get approved, I need to see the torched steaks.

I do mine Pittsburgh style. I like mine rare or medium rare, so I start up a burner outside and heat a cast iron skillet, throw butter in it, and put the steak right in. It takes about a minute or so for each side to get a really nice even char, and it's still bloody and mooing on the inside.

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I wish the photos would get approved, I need to see the torched steaks.

I do mine Pittsburgh style. I like mine rare or medium rare, so I start up a burner outside and heat a cast iron skillet, throw butter in it, and put the steak right in. It takes about a minute or so for each side to get a really nice even char, and it's still bloody and mooing on the inside.

Very nice. I don't think I want to try that with the cheap Costco meat I got, but maybe I'll pick up a grass-fed NY strip in a little while and go for it. I've had raw beef, including raw heart, and I love it. It's a shame I can't sear my meat in a skillet like a sane person. I've tried sears for as little as 30 seconds per side, but the fire alarm goes off anyway and 5 minutes later the fire department rolls up. Maybe I'll try taking a torch to a raw steak and eating it like that. Or I'll just grill some up this weekend

I'm a weak man...If I give myself a few feet of leeway, I burst through all of my prohibitions.

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Sous vide is great for steak - it's really good for eggs, too. About 1 hour at (I think) around 146 degrees gets you a just-set white with a creamy yolk. Delicious and really easy - you don't even need the plastic bag or blow torch.

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Sous vide is great for steak - it's really good for eggs, too. About 1 hour at (I think) around 146 degrees gets you a just-set white with a creamy yolk. Delicious and really easy - you don't even need the plastic bag or blow torch.

Interesting! I've never tried eggs before. I like my whites crispy and buttery, so I'll probably stick to frying for small batches but sous-vide eggs would probably be convenient if I want to down 9 or more eggs in one sitting. Thanks for the tip!

I'm a weak man...If I give myself a few feet of leeway, I burst through all of my prohibitions.

Comment

Large amounts of amino acids can induce muscle protein synthesis (MPS) on their own, which is impressive since they're also the main substrate. However, I'm not sure anything about the diet has too much of an influence on metabolic rate. Most of your metabolic rate is determined by either genetics or your lean body mass. Your metabolism does slow down during dieting, but I've read that it's on the order of 50-150 kcal/day which is not really enough to make or break a diet. The idea that one can have a significant on his or her metabolism by dieting is mostly myth. Yes, eating "thermogenic" foods like cinnamon or hot peppers technically "stimulate" the metabolism much as caffeine does. But it's not, in my opinion, going to have a major long-term effect anyway.

The body is amazing at regulating itself. In a healthy person things like your BMR, blood glucose, and temperature never really change too much. You can effect a small reduction in BMR by long-term dieting (this effect becomes larger when one becomes very lean), but on a day-to-day basis food doesn't have a very big effect on metabolic rate.

Edit: I will say, however, that this diet is something else. On day 4 I have boundless energy, minimal hunger, and great sleep. The scale keeps plunging downward for some reason, but I hesitate to think I'm losing lean mass. It's probably just all my glycogen stores being depleted. But maybe there's something magical about this diet. I know beef, saturated fats, and CLA all have positive effects on testosterone. Perhaps there is some super anabolic phenomenon going on. We'll see!

I agree, I wasn't thinking it was the diet per say. as the only way the metabolism could be increased is from the increased muscle mass/density as a result of the training/diet combined.

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I agree, I wasn't thinking it was the diet per say. as the only way the metabolism could be increased is from the increased muscle mass/density as a result of the training/diet combined.

Yeah, I really don't know what it is at this point. I'm sleeping 6.5-7 hours, which is normal for me, but now I feel so well rested. It's hard to describe how I feel during the day. Almost as if I'm buzzing. I don't eat anything until dinner, and all day I'm just humming along - being productive, drinking tons of water, coffee, and tea, and feeling good. It's a shame my job is in a lab.

I have to thank you, canuck, for inadvertently turning me on to steak and eggs. I've been reading through Paleobird's entire carnivorousness thread and I'm seriously considering adopting a mostly animal diet. I've been dieting and losing weight for a while now, but I'm sick of (most) vegetables and I'm so much happier eating meat, organs, butter, and cream than I am eating a salad. This is foreign territory for me, and I want to read up on any longitudinal studies regarding long-term health and mostly meat diets. I sincerely doubt there are too many of those, but I want to do all the reading I can. I love the prospect of spending the rest of my days eating liver paté, heart tartare, rare beef, sashimi, and oysters rather than gnawing on salads all the time. I really hate raw vegetables. But anyway, thanks, canuck! I can't wait to see how this steak and eggs routine turns out. I swear I'm looking leaner every day. I might have to start telling my friends about this.

I'm a weak man...If I give myself a few feet of leeway, I burst through all of my prohibitions.

Comment

Yeah, I really don't know what it is at this point. I'm sleeping 6.5-7 hours, which is normal for me, but now I feel so well rested. It's hard to describe how I feel during the day. Almost as if I'm buzzing. I don't eat anything until dinner, and all day I'm just humming along - being productive, drinking tons of water, coffee, and tea, and feeling good. It's a shame my job is in a lab.

I have to thank you, canuck, for inadvertently turning me on to steak and eggs. I've been reading through Paleobird's entire carnivorousness thread and I'm seriously considering adopting a mostly animal diet. I've been dieting and losing weight for a while now, but I'm sick of (most) vegetables and I'm so much happier eating meat, organs, butter, and cream than I am eating a salad. This is foreign territory for me, and I want to read up on any longitudinal studies regarding long-term health and mostly meat diets. I sincerely doubt there are too many of those, but I want to do all the reading I can. I love the prospect of spending the rest of my days eating liver paté, heart tartare, rare beef, sashimi, and oysters rather than gnawing on salads all the time. I really hate raw vegetables. But anyway, thanks, canuck! I can't wait to see how this steak and eggs routine turns out. I swear I'm looking leaner every day. I might have to start telling my friends about this.

I just found a restaurant within a block of my new condo that serves ............wait for it............kangaroo tartare! How perfect is that? They also have wild boar meatloaf. I love my new neighborhood. It's a carnivore's paradise.

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So apparently the "whoosh" has bottomed out. I was 170.8 pounds for the second straight day. As I wrote in the other thread, I had really bad diarrhea all day yesterday. I'm sure it will work itself out.

Nothing really interesting to report. It was rest day, I had a 25 oz. steak and 6 eggs, sunny side up. Ho hum. Still feel amazing. Still looking great in the mirror. I'll check in after my workout this evening.

I'm a weak man...If I give myself a few feet of leeway, I burst through all of my prohibitions.

Comment

Today was a really rough day. The first one, really. It was a second straight day of diarrhea, which just leaves me feeling drained, literally and figuratively. I came home and had a robust workout, which was awesome. But since then I've felt lethargic and listless. For dinner I made steak and eggs "Shepherd's Pie," which is just 22 oz. ground beef buried underneath 6 scrambled eggs. It was good, and I got 98% of it down before my stomach told me to stop.

My lady had some fairly tasty looking chickpea balls fried in oil over a big salad. I was actually pretty jealous for the first time. I don't know if it was the 2 days of loose stool or the nasty workout but I just really wanted some carbohydrate. Lying on the couch like a slug, I nearly succumbed. In the end I had a sizable pile of walnuts and that has tided me over. I hope I feel better tomorrow.

The lady and I are both losing weight. It's exciting. I do still love the steak and eggs, but my body isn't quite up to speed yet in some ways. Hopefully I'll get over it soon.

I'm a weak man...If I give myself a few feet of leeway, I burst through all of my prohibitions.

Comment

Well I don't know how everyone else is doing it. I suppose it's because I went directly from a high protein/high (primal) carb/moderate fat diet to a high protein/high fat/no carb diet. But my body is doing some strange things. Not to mention the strange things my mind is doing. I'm not considering dropping the diet, but it's a wild ride. This journal might turn into something of a therapeutic outlet.

I'm down 4 pounds since the start of the diet and down 7 pounds since the beginning of May. The physical transformation is nothing short of spectacular. My gym is in my basement so I train shirtless (helps with the laundry ). Last night after several bench press sets I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror unloading weights from the bar and couldn't believe it. I was seeing muscles, veins, and bones I've not seen since high school. My hip really pokes out that much? Look at those striations in my shoulder! Hey - a biceps vein! Full disclosure: I took a break from my workout and just flexed at myself in the mirror for a while. I bought some size 34 Dockers alphas a few weeks ago. They were a bit loose in the waist even new, but they were the only size that would accommodate my thighs (I like squats). Now they're falling off. My waist might be pushing 31 at this point. I still have weirdly disproportionate love handles (genetic - my dad has them too). But my chest, traps, abs, arms, and just about everything else look incredible. You could use my back as a washboard. Only about a week into this diet and I'm unrecognizable.

It has been taxing though. I don't know if all you guys in the main thread are just more fat adapted, tougher, or just flat out lying (I sincerely doubt that) but 6 days on this diet is really starting to jar me. My chronic diarrhea has been well documented so I won't go into it. But this morning on my bike ride into work (all uphill, though I normally crank with ease) felt like pedaling through cream cheese frosting. No, not sand. Cream cheese frosting. Or maybe peanut butter. Yeah - like pedaling through peanut butter. My legs are sore and weak - climbing up the stairs was a challenge. I feel generally depleted physically even as my mind is fine. Well, the mind is mostly fine. I think clearly and work is going alright. But the cravings. My coworker was cruel this morning. He bought a banana nut muffin the size of a softball. I normally don't like muffins (these kind are particularly awful - the first listed ingredient is sugar ). But I stared long enough that he asked me what was up. I've planned Saturday's carb up down to the last detail. I realize I can't go overboard and if I don't plan, I'll go overboard. I'll go into the water and straight to the bottom of the sea. For about five minutes this morning I sat in my chair with my eyes closed and fantasized about eating a bowl of oatmeal. I could feel the textures and the heat in my mouth. It was splendid. And then waking from my fantasy was a rude affront. My head is in a weird place right now. It's half disturbing and half amusing.

The weirdest thing is I absolutely have not lost my taste for steak and eggs. Tonight is a 22 oz. sirloin monster that I'll char with my friend the propane torch and cook until it's dark red and bloody. Plus 4-6 fried eggs and some delicious mushrooms. Thanks for reading this long post. It's an intense ride for me and I can't wait to see how it turns out.